Remote controls are used to remotely control a variety of electronic devices, including televisions, stereos and DVD players, for example. Each remote control typically operates within line of sight of its respective electronic device. Many times, a user carries the remote control into another room, and momentarily puts it down only to walk away without the remote control in hand. This becomes an annoyance when the user, or even a different user, is later looking for the remote control in the room where the control should be located. Consequently, when a remote control is not in user it needs to be returned to a resting location near the electronic device that it controls.
One approach for locating a remote control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,320,503. This patent is directed to a paging and organizing assembly for remote controls. A remote housing base is attached to a remote control, and includes a vibration circuit and a speaker. If the remote control is not stored in a remote control storage slot in a base unit, and cannot be found, the user pushes a transmitter button on the base unit. This causes a paging signal to be transmitted to the remote housing base. Upon receiving the paging signal, the remote housing base alerts the user to where the remote control is located.
Another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,627. A transmit unit is affixed to a portable electronic device, and a receiver-alarm unit is positioned in a designated area. The receiver-alarm unit receives and processes signals transmitted by the transmit unit. When a level of the signals fall below a threshold, indicating that the transmit unit and the receiver alarm unit are an unacceptable distance apart, a threshold detector in the receiver alarm unit triggers an alarm to notify the user.
Even in view of the above-described approaches, there is still a need to improve how a user can be proactively notified to return a remote control when not in use to a resting location near the electronic device that it controls.